An extensive guide to 820/801 Australian Partner Visa evidence
This post is all about gathering your 820/801 Australian Partner Visa evidence. Although there is no “one-size-fits-all” document checklist, I’ll give you an overview of the 5 categories in which you need to provide evidence, as well as plenty of suggestions for satisfying the requirements in each. Use this information to determine the evidence you will submit to prove “a genuine and continuing relationship” with your partner, and then read my next posts to learn about completing the online application, organising your documents for upload, and finally hitting submit!
Read my whole series on applying for the 820/801 Australian Partner Visa for more information about preparing your evidence, lodging your application, and the next steps. If you’re just beginning, start with this post to get an overview (and to read about our story). And, as always, please remember that I am not a migration agent or affiliated with Home Affairs in any way, so all the information provided in these posts and in the comments below is based entirely on my own experience and my own understanding of the application process.
Why your evidence is important
At the end of the day, your eligibility for the 820/801 Australian Partner Visa depends on your ability to prove a genuine, committed, and continuing relationship with your partner, on a written application that will by read by someone who has never met either of you.
The process is somehow both incredibly personal, requiring intimate details of your circumstances, and impersonal, reducing your relationship to its constituent parts and requiring that your every romantic feeling be “supported” by evidence.
The true irony of this system is that the more genuine your relationship, the less likely you actually are to have perfect evidence: you probably didn’t open joint bank accounts the day you started dating, keep every text message you ever exchanged, stress about having both names on the utility bills, or even save tickets from every event you attended together if you were just enjoying the natural progression of your relationship and not staging it as a means to migrate.
The other pitfall of this process is that you are essentially asked to align every aspect of your relationship with an ideal situation, one in which you met, dated, became committed, moved in, and then never spent a second apart. Of course, the vast majority of people are unlikely to be able to shove a genuine, long-term relationship into a box this way, so you are left to “explain” and “justify” circumstances that really only you and your partner can understand.
To an extent, I think Home Affairs does recognise both of these issues, though. This application process will likely always be invasive, but the purpose is to weed out those who are trying to cheat the system, not couples who have been too busy enjoying life together to keep detailed records from 5 years ago or those whose relationship has had a unique progression.
Uploading evidence to your application is not just about ticking all their boxes, but about telling the story of your relationship. To that end, this is the most important part of the entire application, where you move beyond answering generic, prescribed questions that you may struggle to apply to your situation and instead have the opportunity to explain, in whatever way makes the most sense, the nature of your relationship.
Telling the story of your relationship
According to Home Affairs, you need to submit evidence across the following 5 categories to prove that your relationship is “genuine and continuing”:
- Financial aspects of the relationship
- Nature of the household
- Social aspects of the relationship
- Nature of the commitment
- Development of the relationship
Even though the upload section of the application isn’t organised in this way (see how it is organised in this post), this is definitely the best way to initially lay out your evidence to ensure that you provide sufficient information in all categories.
In other words, it won’t do you much good to provide only joint bank statements, proof of joint assets, and wills listing each other as beneficiaries, as you haven’t touched on the 4 other categories. Organising your evidence under these headings now will help you figure out what gaps you need to fill in your application before you start uploading.
What evidence goes where?!
A single piece of evidence can fit into multiple categories and tell a slightly different story in each. Although everyone has their own idea of where certain evidence “belongs”, there isn’t a right or wrong way to organise most of your evidence.
Cal and I, for instance, have been on dozens of trips together in more than 25 countries, so instead of including plane ticket after plane ticket as part of our commitment evidence, I started to include plane tickets in other areas:
I paid for both of our tickets to Bali, Iceland, and London, which could represent a financial aspect of our relationship. We also travelled twice to America to see my family, hiked through NZ with my parents, and spent time in South Africa with my mum, so those tickets really speak more to the social aspect of our relationship.
Most importantly, even though you can make a plane ticket tell a different story depending on what section you place it in and what details you highlight, your CO is not assessing your application in a vacuum— he or she will notice the cross-categorical implications! Organise your evidence in a way that makes sense to you, don’t duplicate across categories, and know that everything will eventually be considered.
Be sure to include…
As a final piece of advice, I think it’s really important to highlight any “irregularities” in your situation and then offer an explanation.
If you spent 2 months away from your partner, for instance, don’t try to exclude it from the application because it “looks bad”— the purpose of all this relationship evidence is to prove legitimacy, not perfection! (And it would look far worse if you were dishonest or misleading on your application, anyway.) Talk about this period in your stat dec, offer an explanation, and provide evidence during this time to show that you were still committed. Similarly, if you are worried about not having joint bank accounts or the fact that your partner hasn’t met your family, simply explain!
You won’t be rejected for not having every single piece of evidence suggested by Home Affairs, because every situation is unique. However, you WILL benefit from having an informed CO and submitting a comprehensive, honest application.
Crafting your own evidence checklist
In each of the following 5 sections of this post, I will lay out the purpose of that particular category as I’ve come to understand it by reading official Immi documents and information from RMAs online (although it’s still my own opinion and I’m not in any way officially qualified!).
I’ll then provide a list of essential evidence that I find to be crucial in satisfying the requirements of that section, which will always include a statement from either you or your partner that will guide the CO through your evidence, explain your situation in more detail, and fill in any gaps.
Lastly, I’ll give a list of suggested evidence that will hopefully just get you thinking about what relevant information you might want to share and what potential documents to submit. These lists are based on my own submission and the extensive research I did in preparation, reading dozens of checklists written by other 820/801 “survivors” and by Home Affairs. It’s extremely unlikely that you’ll have everything on this list (we definitely didn’t, even after 5 years), but you don’t need more than a few good pieces of evidence to really tell your story.
1 | Financial aspects of the relationship
The purpose of this section is to establish financial interdependency between you and your partner, which might be in the form of shared expenses, joint assets, beneficiary status, or monetary support.
Every relationship (particularly if you’ve only just fulfilled the 12 month de facto minimum to apply for this visa) will have varying degrees of interdependency, but it is still a key requirement of this visa that you and your partner share financial responsibility to some degree.
Essential evidence
- A statement from either you or your partner describing your shared financial responsibility. This should function to guide your CO through the rest of this section’s evidence and fill in information that can’t be gleaned from any documents (e.g. how you supported your partner when they were unemployed, how you divide costs while travelling together, etc.).
- Proof of shared financial responsibility for a rental or mortgage, in the form of a lease agreement with both names, communication from your real estate regarding a shared property, joint home loan, mortgage, etc. This has the added benefit of establishing cohabitation, another important requirement of this visa!
- Utility bill to your shared address, which may not mention both names (many companies will only print a single name on the bill) but does establish expenses that are being paid by one or both of you for your shared home. This is further proof of residential address.
- A statement from a joint bank account, showing both names and the date the account was opened or even a transaction history to prove regular use (although we hardly use ours and it wasn’t ever questioned). This is also useful for establishing information about the “nature of the household”.
Suggested evidence
- Screenshots from your bank showing transfers to/from your partner with descriptions
- Travel expenses for you and your partner paid for by one of you
- Car in both names
- Proof of other shared assets
- Receipt of major joint purchases
- Statement showing payment for weekly food shop
2 | Nature of the household
The purpose of this section is really just to show how you and your partner fulfil the requirement of cohabitation and how your joint household functions. This can be through a jointly-signed lease agreement, your division of cleaning and cooking, your shared bedroom, etc.
I personally found that this section had a lot less evidence than other sections of our application (how do you prove who does the cleaning?!), but as long as you can concretely establish a shared residence with a lease agreement, I think it’s safe to include most of the other required information in a statement.
Essential evidence
- A statement from either you or your partner describing how you share household responsibilities (e.g. cooking, cleaning, grocery shopping, paying the bills, etc.).
- Lease agreements for all shared properties you have lived at with your partner.
- Mail addressed to both you and your partner throughout the time you’ve lived together.
- Photos of your home, particularly your shared bedroom.
Suggested evidence
- Proof of shared responsibility for a pet or a child
- Mobile phones on a shared plan
- Correspondence from your real estate/strata sent to both of you
- Statement from anyone who has lived with the two of you (I have spoken to people who lived with their partner’s family and obviously didn’t have a shared lease, so a statement from the family is important to include in these circumstances)
3 | Social aspects of the relationship
The purpose of this section is to prove that your relationship is known to and accepted by others, most specifically your friends and family. This might mean attending events or travelling together, spending time together with friends, having a close relationship with one another’s families, or just generally making your relationship public (e.g. registered de facto, marriage, or even Facebook!).
While there are many applicants for this visa that have never met their partner’s family (based on what I’ve read in forums), I think it’s pretty crucial for this section of the application to at least show that people in your life (e.g. friends, colleagues) have spent time with you and your partner or that you have been very open about your relationship (e.g. posting on social media) so that it doesn’t look “secret”.
Essential evidence
- A statement from either you or your partner describing the social aspects of your relationship (e.g. what you do together for fun, events you’ve attended, shared invitations to weddings and parties, joint travel, etc.).
- Form 888 from your Australian friends and your partner’s Australian friends and family to show that you are actively involved in one another’s lives and that your relationship is widely known. You are only required to submit 2 of these, but I think the more, the merrier! We submitted 9, which included my partner’s family, several of his friends, a work colleague, several of my friends, one of my work colleagues, and some mutual friends who were actually there when we met.
- Photos of you and your partner together, as well as together with friends, over the course of your relationship.
- Joint travel tickets and photos (e.g. plane tickets, travel bookings with both names, travel photos).
- Proof that you have made your relationship known to people (e.g. relationship status on Facebook, posts on social media, relationship certificate, wedding photos, etc)
Suggested evidence
- Invitations addressed to both you and your partner (e.g. party or wedding invites)
- Gift to/from your partner
- Communications between you and your partner’s family
- Mutual Facebook friends
- Membership to clubs or groups in common
4 | Nature of the commitment
The purpose of this section is to demonstrate how you and your partner have committed to one another and to a continuing, long-term relationship together. This could mean having “knowledge of each other’s personal circumstances such as background and family situation”, listing one another as beneficiaries of your will, having joint assets, supporting each other emotionally, or making future plans together.
Again, the strength of this section is probably in the statement you will make about your commitment, as many of these things are difficult to “prove” with documents.
Essential evidence
- A statement from you or your partner describing your commitment to one another (e.g. how you are involved with one another’s family, how you support one another emotionally through difficult times, how you have combined your lives, your future plans together, etc.).
- Stat dec/signed letter from any non-Australian friends or family who have been involved in your relationship (here’s a template to at least get them started from My Access Australia: statutory declaration template). I had my mum, dad, and stepmother each write a letter for our application, describing the times they’d travelled with me and Callum, that they had visited us in Australia or we had visited them in America, and any other personal details they wanted to include. They all wrote very different letters, but they turned out very nicely and I think they speak to the close relationship that Callum has with my family.
- Photos with each other’s families. We have been on a number of overseas trips with both of our families, so this was easy for us to include, but if you don’t have a bunch of group photos already on hand, I’d suggest snapping a couple over the next month if you have dinner with your partner’s family or go to a sporting event all together.
- A screenshot of your partner listed as your emergency contact/you listed as your partner’s.
- Evidence that you were in communication with one another during any periods of separation (e.g. message transcripts, emails, phone records) and/or that you visited one another while you were living apart (e.g. plane tickets to see each other).
Suggested evidence
- Proof that you have listed your partner as beneficiary of your accounts or Super, or that you have listed them in your Will
- Wedding plans
- Future travel plans
- Joint savings for a house/other investment together
5 | Development of the relationship
Home Affairs actually suggests just writing a statement for this section, which you might choose to sign as a stat dec (we just submitted signed statements in the end, one from each of us about the progression of our relationship). Quoting directly from their document checklist, include information about:
- how, when and where you first met
- how the relationship developed
- when you became engaged or married, if applicable
- joint activities
- periods of separation
- significant events in the relationship
- your future plans together
What’s next?
The next step is to gather a few additional pieces of personal information before finally sitting down to work on the online application and upload your evidence:
- INFORMATION TO GATHER FOR YOUR 820/801 AUSTRALIAN PARTNER VISA APPLICATION ONLINE
- COMPLETING THE 820/801 AUSTRALIAN PARTNER VISA APPLICATION ONLINE
- SPONSORSHIP FOR A PARTNER TO MIGRATE TO AUSTRALIA: COMPLETING THE SPONSOR SECTION OF THE 820/801
- UPLOADING EVIDENCE TO OUR 820/801 AUSTRALIAN PARTNER VISA APPLICATION
I hope this information has been helpful and I wish you so much luck on your Australian Partner Visa journey! Feel free to ask any questions below and I will do my very best to answer them.
* I am not a migration agent or affiliated with Home Affairs in any way, so all the information provided in these posts and in the comments below is based entirely on my own experience and my own understanding of the application process.
If you found this post helpful and want to contribute to some of the costs associated with running BrookeAroundTown.com, I would be infinitely grateful!
You can use the PayPal button below to donate whatever you feel this information is worth. If you aren’t able, don’t worry— I will always keep my posts free and accessible for everyone!
UPDATE: A MASSIVE THANK YOU to everyone who’s commented to let me know that you found these posts helpful— I can’t tell you how much it means to me to read your success stories! I worked incredibly hard to compile all of this information (while getting my PhD & teaching), but it’s genuinely been worth it to make even a small difference for my fellow immigrants.
More importantly, though, THANK YOU to everyone who has shared their own experience or answered questions for other readers in the comments below! We are building a wonderful & supportive community of Partner Visa applicants here, and every comment and question is a resource for others.
If you felt like these posts helped with your application, I’d encourage you to come back after your visa is granted (or even after various milestones) and let us all know what happened— it might mean the world to someone else struggling with this process! Best wishes to you all xx bb
The Comments
Tom V
Thanks again for your blog: it’s a source of comfort and advice in a stressful process!
I have run into a problem: I was granted the 801 after 5 months, and now immi account won’t allow me to upload any more documents! It says my application is “finalised”. I had the impression from your blog that most people continue to upload documents throughout the process, so after applying I was busy preparing a six month update, etc. (We have only been together two years so I wanted to show lots of proof we are a thriving couple.)
DOHA technical support says simply “you can’t upload to an application that has been finalised” but no further advice.
Have you ever heard of that before?
In case of interest to others: after applying mid 2021, I got a request for medical checks within 2 weeks, and did that promptly; and within 4 months I had a request for the “personal particulars” and “sponsorship form” (which did not come through at the beginning for some reason). After 5 months the 801 was granted. So begins the two year wait period – and it seems that I can’t provide further info during that time unless/until DOHA request it.
Any tips appreciated!
brooke brisbine
Tom VHi Tom,
Can you clarify, were you granted the 801 (permanent visa) or the 820 (temporary visa)?
If it was actually the 801 like you stated here, there’s actually no need to upload anything further, since you’ve already received PR! This was the case for me– both visas were approved simultaneously, so I never had to submit additional evidence to move from the 820 to 801.
Mehul
Hi brook. Thank for this blog to help people like me. Just want to know that i am goong to start my 820/801 application. My sponsor using her immi account to aplly for me. So do we have to aplky first stage 1 820/801 or sponsor to migrate australia ? As some people said that stage 1 done by applicant and sponsor to migrate australia 820/801 done by sponer. Which confuse me . Can you please explain where to strat?
brooke brisbine
MehulHi Mehul,
You first need to complete your application and THEN your partner can complete her application as the sponsor. Check out these posts for more info:
https://brookebeyond.com/completing-the-820-801-australian-partner-visa
https://brookebeyond.com/sponsorship-for-a-partner-to-migrate-to-australia-820-visa
Caroline
Hi,
This article is super informative! Thank you for taking the time to make it!
I just have a question, does a statement have to be signed/witnessed by a justice of the peace? I know a statutory declaration does but I can’t seem to find information regarding statements.
Thanks in advance!
brooke brisbine
CarolineHi Caroline,
You do not need to have any of your statements certified, nor any of your other documents (unless a CO specifically requested it). The only upload for the entire application that you are required to have witnessed is the Form 888, and these are done by your witnesses.
Hope that helps 🙂
Tim
Hi Brooke amazing help with all the info you’ve supplied. Thanks, heaps! I’ve got one quick question though… in terms of writing and illustrating my partner and I’s aspects is there a certain word limit or count? I understand that on the actual immi page I think theirs a word count but to include the whole statement as a separate document would you advise a page or word limit? I feel i could really ramble on and explain a lot of detail for some aspects and am unsure if it’s too much?
brooke brisbine
TimHi Tim,
No official word limit, so provide as much detail as you want! Like you said, though, uploading a dozen typed pages for a statement is probably going to create a lot of unnecessary work for the CO.
Genevieve
Hi Brooke, Thanks so much for sharing all of this information. I just wanted to know, do the forms 1221 and 820 can be typed and signed electronically? Also, would you photocopy all documents or from what you know, we can take photos and attach Jpeg documents in the application. Thanks a lot for your time.
brooke brisbine
GenevieveHi Genevieve,
I think that would be fine, but I wrote mine just in case. As for photocopying, a good quality photo of a document should be equally good, just make sure it’s still legible if you compress any documents.
Marylyn Dicinoski
Just discovered this site… So much good info as I wade through this process and prep all my evidence from our over 6 year marriage with 2 kids. It’s SO much info I’m concerned I’ll run out of allowed MB space when uploading to my immi account. I see you are from Seattle. Me too!! Currently in Kirkland. Cheers!
Tom. M
Thanks Brooke – I actually just submitted my 801 form and a few pics as a placeholder, got an email 48 hours later that visa had been approved.
Thanks for your help. Group is a great resource.
brooke brisbine
Tom. MHi Tom, massive congratulations, what wonderful news!!
Hope you and your partner get a chance to celebrate 🙂
-Brooke
Tom M
Hey Brooke – thanks so much for sharing this it is incredibly useful.
Me and my wife spent hours collating the original 820 application and didn’t realize at the time there was an second stage we would have to complete.
As the requirements are largely the same, do you know if I can build on the original application (taking this as read) and provide updates specific to the last few years e.g. buying a house together and starting a family.
This seems more relevant to me than re-sharing old wedding photos or talking about how we met 10+ years ago but I worry that DHS will require a full rewrite?
Any ideas would be appreciated.
Thanks
Tom
brooke brisbine
Tom MHi Tom,
I would imagine that your assumption is correct, but unfortunately I don’t have any personal knowledge of this, as both my 820 and 801 were granted together (so I never did the second application).
Any others readers care to share their experience or insight??
-Brooke
THERESE
Before anything else, thank you for writing this article! It has been a big help to me and my husband. We have been married for 1 year and 8 months, but I have only recently moved here to Australia since I was strongly advised against traveling last year due to my intricate pregnancy. I would like to ask, in case you have any idea, if it’s alright for me to skip the “Relationship – Spouse, De facto Partner, Evidence of” and “Registered relationship, Evidence of” dropdowns if I upload my evidences under the “Marriage, Evidence of” section? Since I believe I would be uploading the same evidences under that section too if it was necessary?
brooke brisbine
THERESEHi Therese,
Yes, you only need to upload marriage evidence OR de facto evidence, not both. Sounds like you’re on the right track!
Best of luck with the application 🙂
-Brooke
Alice
Wow thank you for taking the time to write this extremely helpful post! I’m just starting my visa journey and this has helped me start to organise everything without being extremely overwhelmed! Thank you X
brooke brisbine
AliceSo happy to hear you found it helpful, Alice! Best of luck on the visa journey 🙂
Monica
Thank you so much for this. My partner and I are in a LDR so it’s really hard to provide evidences. I guess we really have to prove them that we’re really a couple and it’s not all about papers etc. You gave us hope!!!
brooke brisbine
MonicaBest of luck to you, Monica! 🙂
Louise
Hey Brooke, Thank you so much for this post is so helpful.
In the part 4: Nature of the commitment, you joint a Word file for a stat dec. Is that the correct format for this type of declaration or is there an official paper from immi that looks like form 888 but for non australians?
Thanks 🙂
brooke brisbine
LouiseHi Louise,
If you’re referring to the “Stat dec/signed letter from any non-Australian friends or family who have been involved in your relationship”, there is no official form. Your family can just write a letter and sign it, but know that it DOES NOT count towards your minimum Form 888s. It’s just extra 🙂
-Brooke
Dan
My partner and I have just started the application process and it was incredibly useful to read through your very detailed explanation. Thank you! I have two questions – how long did it take for your visa to be granted from when you submitted it? How long did you have before you were required to move to Australia?
Cheers,
Dan
brooke brisbine
DanHi Dan, glad you’ve found these posts helpful!
I have been waiting 19 months without any communication from Home Affairs– I’m hoping it will be granted soon, but I have no idea.
I did apply onshore, though, so I’m not sure about how the deadline for moving to Australia works for those applying offshore. Perhaps another reader will see this comment and be able to provide a more helpful answer!
-Brooke
Save
One tiny more question xx to format everything.. what did you use?? Did you scan all documents, tickets, etc. Then having explanations and titles with all of them with google docs or word??
Thanks again xx
Sage
brooke brisbine
SaveHi again Sage,
I scanned documents and combined things (as appropriate) into PDF documents, usually using Word and exporting to PDF or just merging PDFs.
Hope that helps xx
-Brooke
Sage
Hi lovely! Thank goodness for souls like you xx. My partner and I are just starting a step by step process towards our application for the partner visa. In all honesty what a hell storm!! I know its gonna be a lengthy and expensive process but everyone here knows its gonna be worth it in the end. We are all here for the same reason, to be with whom we love! My partner is Australian and I am Canadian. I guess I would say our step 1 is registering our relationship with the state so even though we have been living together for 12 months it will take stress off of all the evidence for that because to be honest our situation I think is a bit different.. Ill explain below.
My partner and I have been living together back and forth between two houses. I am an au pair and I work 4 days on and 4 days off. On my days on my partner and I both live at the house I am au pairing for. And on my days off we are living at his house (there most of the time) with his family(now just his mom and dad). We are always together, never apart going back and forth together. His (our)house is 10 minutes from the house I work at. While my second job at a café is down the street from his(our) house. So the only problem Im afraid of is that neither of our names are really present in either houses because we both in all honesty aren’t paying many bills. His parents have said that in order to satisfy the visa requirements and for proof that they can put our names on some of the bills and Im sure the family I au pair for would do the same. We are a few steps away from registering our relationship and we are opening our joint bank account tonight where we will have all our joint savings for the visa, upcoming trips, and our big goal is a house of our own.
I saw in earlier comments Brooke, that you said that written statements from family or people whom you’ve been living with stating you are living there and the circumstances would be okay, right?? Im thinking we will be alright if we have the chance to explain the circumstances because of my job and with putting our names onto bills etc putting both our names onto my partners car etc. And also a big one of course is registering our relationship. We could get written statements from his parents and from the family I work for. As for everything else I think we are absolutely covered with trips and pictures.. Getting statements from friends, family, and each other.. Im so sorry this is so long!! With living in the way we are living at the moment its catapulting us with the ability to save up money towards everything we want in the future. One more thing, at the moment I am on a bridging visa A. I was on a working holiday about a year ago and got told the wrong info from someone over a call from the government telling me I could apply on shore without leaving for a tourist visa right off the bat to be able to stay longer when my WHV was coming to an end! Gosh if only I knew as much then as I know now. Terribly wrong and got the tourist visa refused… Instead of leaving through more research I found a loop hole in getting more time to stay here. I applied for a merits review of the decision. I know very well It will probably get refused again but I knew it was worth everything to try and stay and I still hope theres the chance it could get granted. The only fight back I have towards it is that I was professionally told the wrong thing. I know, not strong. But anyway the whole reason I did that is because you are then allowed to stay in the country on the BVA while they process the review which they said to my luck takes a minimum of 12 months maximum 18 now 19 because of the pandemic. So here I am still lawfully in Australia working and in that time met my partner, etc. Best decision I ever made! The fallback is though that to apply for the partner visa you have to be on a substantive visa.. bridging visa is not one! So it worried me.. but at the same time I thought no harm in leaving, applying for a tourist outside of Australia cause then already my circumstances have changed and zero reason for it to get denied again. So ill apply for an ETA since im Canadian, then apply for the partner visa off of that so I am applying on shore.. Covid makes that a bit complicated because of travel restrictions but with our registered relationship I should be fine coming back to Aus because having your de facto partner in aus and coming to see them is classified as an exemption!
Any who sorry again for the long post but Im just wondering what you think of all of this would love your opinion xxx
Sorry again for all of this
brooke brisbine
SageHi Sage, so sorry it’s taken me this long to respond! I am incredibly happy to hear this guide has been helpful to you, I totally agree the process is insanely overwhelming — but worth it 🙂
I would think a stat dec from the family you live with and your partner’s mum & dad would be totally sufficient evidence for living together. In fact, my partner and I have been living in an apartment that his parents own for the last 6 months, so we don’t have a lease and we just pay rent directly to them. We’ve included bank statements and a stat dec from his mum to confirm we are living here together. You can 1000% explain the situation, there’s NOTHING wrong with not being on a lease together or owning a house together. You still live together, which is more than a lot of other couples! The fact your partner actually lives with you even with your au pair family seems pretty major to me!!
And yes, I definitely recommend registering your relationship just as an extra bit of evidence 🙂
It certainly sounds like there’s been some visa drama, and I totally sympathise because often when you call up Home Affairs they have no idea and end up telling you the wrong thing. You’re right that you do qualify for a travel exemption as a de facto partner of an Aussie, but you still have to apply (I’m sure you know this), so I’d want to be bloody sure of getting that exemption approved before I left for North America. Given the complicated nature of your current visa status, it might be worth speaking to a migration agent– they will know far better than anyone on the phone at Home Affairs and might be able to offer some guidance. It’s annoying to have to pay someone, but when there’s this much on the line, might be worth a short zoom consultation or something. Just a thought!
Best of luck to you guys!!
-Brooke
Amy
Brooke,
Thanks so much for writing this up! I wanted to quickly ask if you included the full lease, joint bank accounts, etc or did you screenshot the important bits?
brooke brisbine
AmyHi Amy,
Yes, I just included the relevant bits (e.g. first page, screenshots) so the CO didn’t have to sift through hundreds of pages of irrelevant information!
-Brooke
Grace
Hi Brooke,
Thank you so so much for the quick reply to my question! That’s super helpful 🙂 and thanks for the link to the FAQs!
Cheers,
Grace
Grace
Hi Brooke,
Thanks so much for all your hard work in putting this together! My partner and I are just starting this process and your website is such a relief to have reference to!
I’ve tried to find a definitive answer to this question on your site and across others, but I’m still struggling to get clarity. I know we need at least 2 supporting witness statements, signed as stat decs by Australian friends and family, but do you know what sort of certification is required for non-Australian friends and family? My partner is from the US and we want to get letters from his family and friends but aren’t sure about if they also need to be certified and/or include colour copies of their passport etc?
If you had any advice, that would be amazingly helpful!
Cheers,
Grace
brooke brisbine
GraceHi Grace,
So glad to hear you’ve found all these posts helpful!
This is definitely a common question– I wrote about it on a recent FAQ post: https://brookebeyond.com/820-801-visa-faq-top-10-most-common-questions-about-the-australian-partner-visa-with-full-answers#7_%7C_Form_47SP
In short, non-Aussie friends and family can’t complete Form 888, so they won’t count towards the minimum 2 references you need. That doesn’t mean you still can’t include informal letters, though, and I’d highly recommend this! My parents and a few friends just wrote letters and signed them; no need to certify or add passport photos. I uploaded these letters under a few different categories depending on content, I think “Length of Relationship” and “Nature of Commitment” from memory (look at this post to see how I uploaded letters: https://brookebeyond.com/uploading-evidence-to-our-820-801-australian-partner-visa-application).
Hopefully that helps 🙂
-Brooke
Mark
Hi Brooke
Thank you for your reply!! I think then im on the right track.
Yes I continue to upload photos and other new developments. I generally put them under other documents rather than a category though I think ‘Length of Defacto’ category makes sense , though probably bit late to suddenly upload under this heading so Ill just continue uploading addition materials under “Other Doc”. If I can slot them onto a specific category I do. As you say as long as the CO can see them there etc.
Take care
Mark
Hi Brooke
Thank you for the thorough info!
I l lodged the partner visa 820 end of September 2019. looking back and after reading your wonderful post I have two questions;
1) The five sections you have described in accordance with the Immi criteria, I have answered in detail and put together into one large Stat Dec document and attached this in uploads “Other Documents” I have also uploaded numerous support evidence documents both under “Other Documents” and with some other ones scattered throughout the various categories within the immi account. In the actual application online where these sections also appear, due to lack of space, in each box i inserted :’Due to lace of space please refer to Relationship Stat Dec uploaded in the attachements’ ( A migration agent freind said he does this alot on applications) Do you think this is adequate?
The immi help line said that there is is no point doubling up the same documents into the various categories in the immi ac as the CO will see them both there as well as in the “Other Upload” sections.
2) I lodged the application end of September 2019 with the primary essential documentation. I then 2 months later uploaded into the immi ac the principal Stat Dec covering the five essential categories in detail as we had only been in a relationship 3 months and it took time to write up and include data into the Stat Dec etc.
Is this ok in your view? as I understand that after the initial lodgement one can continue uploading ongoing supporting eveidence?
I recall Immi help saying that at the time of lodgment to have the main documents uploaded only and then other important documents asap within the next couple of months ideally.
Thanks
brooke brisbine
MarkHi Mark,
1. I totally agree there isn’t enough space to write a proper statement in the app, so I did the same thing (“please see XXX document attached in the uploads section”)! I also don’t think it much matters where you attach them as long as you upload them to the application in a way that makes sense to you 🙂
2. Absolutely continue adding new evidence while you’re waiting, especially since you didn’t have a lot of time together when you originally submitted. At least every few months, try to include more information, new photos, travel plans, joint assets, etc. I personally did this by writing “6 month update”, “12 month update”, etc PDFs that included a statement of what we’ve been up to, attachments like flight bookings or bank statements, photos from the last few months, and anything else that felt relevant to include. I uploaded these PDFs under the “Length of Relationship” heading.
Other readers have submitted updates directly under each category heading, but again, I don’t think it much matters as long as you put it in a logical place where the CO will find it!
I hope that answers your questions, but let me know!
-Brooke
Andrea
Hi Brooke, thanks so much for this info.
I have a doubt if you don’t mind… there are some documents like the lease agreement or utility bills that can be used as main evidence for both, the financial aspects and the Nature of the household sections. In this cases, should we upload the same documents several times in the different sections or only in one and point it out as a reference?
Cheers and thanks again 🙂
brooke brisbine
AndreaHi Andrea,
Some duplication might be necessary, like uploading a lease agreement to prove residential address for both you and your partner (under the “Applicant” and then the “Sponsor” upload sections), but I probably wouldn’t include the same document under “financial” and “household”. You can definitely reference the document in a statement, as well as uploading other evidence under each section. For instance, you might upload the lease agreement and utility bills under household, and then upload bank statements showing how you split rent and utilities under financial. Just an example, you can of course structure your uploads however you want to 🙂
-Brooke
Bob
Hello Brooke,
Can you please tell me us about your experience applying for TFN.
Does BVA allow to apply for TFN?
Thanks Brooke.
brooke brisbine
BobHi Bob,
A TFN isn’t tied to your visa, it only has to do with whether you are a “resident for tax purposes”. Most people in Australia on anything other than a visitor visa will be considered a resident for tax purposes. You can read more about it here: https://www.ato.gov.au/Individuals/international-tax-for-individuals/work-out-your-tax-residency/
So yes, you can definitely apply for a TFN on a BVA if you meet the above criteria. This is the application relevant to foreign passport holders: https://www.ato.gov.au/individuals/tax-file-number/apply-for-a-tfn/foreign-passport-holders,-permanent-migrants-and-temporary-visitors—tfn-application/
-Brooke
Regan
Hi Brooke,
I have just come across your website, having just started researching the Partner Visa process for my English husband and I. From my initial reading, I think the first-hand experience you provide is going to be a great help so we thank you in advance!
I have a question following on from an earlier question someone had in this thread. Like you, I suspect we’ll be needing to attach separate statements as the 2000 word limit may be too restrictive. Did you prepare/type your statements in Word then just attach that, or were they handwritten? (I assume it’s the former.) And did you sign it, or just type your name at the end? Just keen to understand what the case officers will find acceptable, rather than do something they won’t accept.
Thanks!
brooke brisbine
ReganHi Regan, I certainly hope these posts will be helpful to you throughout the process of applying for your husband’s visa!
I personally typed my statements and then electronically signed them using a PDF editor. It’s not an official document unless it’s an actual stat dec, so I don’t imagine there’s much difference between typing your name or actually signing. And given that there’s no requirement for these to be witnessed stat decs, my assumption was that typing a name and date would be perfectly adequate. Hope that answers your question!
-Brooke
OM
Thanks a lot Brooke, so incredibly in-depth and helpful! Must have taken a lot of work. You’ve made our application process a lot easier!!
brooke brisbine
OMWell yes, it was a LOT of work… but it was definitely worth it to be able to make the process a little less overwhelming for people 🙂
Elise
Hello, this is incredible I can’t imagine how much time you spent just putting this altogether. It’s helped me out so much so thank you thank you. I was just wondering if you had any advice on how to format the statements? My partner and I are currently writing them but I don’t actually know how best to format/ structure them.. do you have any advice for this? Thanks, Elise
brooke brisbine
EliseHi Elise, it’s great to hear that these posts were helpful to you and your partner!
As for the statements, it’s really personal how you want to format them– there is no set structure defined by Home Affairs as long as you speak to each of the 5 categories. You could choose to write it as a long letter or use bullet points to show specific dates, either is fine. My only specific recommendation would be to reference documents and evidence that you’ve uploaded. For example, if you’re writing about your financial aspects and you’re explaining that you and your partner have a joint account opened on x date, you might say “see xxx document in the uploads section”, which is proof of the joint account or a joint bank statement. Probably many successful applications have been less thorough than this, but I wanted to really make sure the CO understood every piece of evidence and every aspect of the relationship!
Hope that helps 🙂
-Brooke
Jamie
How do you satisfy the de facto partner requirement if you partner is initially coming to Australia on a 601 ETA visa?
I mean, you would basically be living together for 2 months or so before needing to submit the 820 application, otherwise the BVA wouldn’t be granted and my partner would need to leave after the 3 month 601 visa expired 🥺
brooke brisbine
JamieHi Jamie,
Although not totally ideal, there are heaps of people in your exact situation that have applied for the visa successfully. You will need a really strong application since you haven’t lived together for 12+ months, but it can be done– a friend of mine recently did it with the help of a migration agent, which is another option. The best way to waive the 12 month cohabitation requirement is to register your relationship with the government. Most states let you do this, so apply as soon as your partner arrives in Australia. If you’re in a state not listed below, look into registration anyway, as things may have changed since I originally wrote the post. Here’s the links:
QLD: https://www.qld.gov.au/law/births-deaths-marriages-and-divorces/marriage-weddings-and-civil-partnerships/civil-partnerships/fill-in-a-civil-partnership-application-form
NSW: https://www.service.nsw.gov.au/transaction/apply-register-relationship-nsw
ACT: https://www.accesscanberra.act.gov.au/app/answers/detail/a_id/1694/~/civil-partnership-registration
VIC: https://www.bdm.vic.gov.au/marriages-and-relationships/register-a-domestic-relationship
TAS: https://www.justice.tas.gov.au/bdm/certificates
Best of luck 🙂
-Brooke
Natalie
Hey!
Just want to say a massive thank you!!
My partner and I have been researching everything to do with the partner visa, process, and application details for months in preparation for our own. We are now in the process of actually putting it all together, and honestly, your blog (specifically this post and the detailed evidence post) has saved me a countless number of stress tears!
I really can’t thank you enough. The application process alone is stressful enough, and then you went through everything again to make it unimaginably easier for people like me and my partner!
brooke brisbine
NatalieHi Natalie,
Thank you so much for this lovely message, it means the world to me to know these posts are actually helping people– because, you’re right, it was a lot of work to put together 🙂 Hope there aren’t too many more stress tears, but I definitely know how overwhelming it can be. Almost there!!
Good luck with everything!
-Brooke
Brooke Ray
We moved to Sydney in June. We did register our relationship as defacto and got accepted. So we’re on the right track. And we are now organising our evidence like you advised which I am greatly appreciative of. But I do think we still need to wait. I know we could apply now, but I think more time the better.
Thank you for replying BTW!
brooke brisbine
Brooke RayHi Brooke,
Of course more time is always better! At least you know that, whenever you’re ready, you do meet the minimum requirements to apply for this visa even without living together for a full 12 months. Hopefully that’s some consolation!
Good luck with everything 🙂
-Brooke
Morag
When you say to write a statement, either myself or my partner, in each category… is there a specific form to fill out to make it an “official” statement? Did you handwrite it? Did you just sign them yourselves or did you have it notarized as well? Help!! Thank you!!
brooke brisbine
MoragHi Morag,
The applicant needs to write the statements for the main application and the sponsor needs to write the statements for the sponsorship application. There is no form for these as it’s not an official requirement to attach a long statement– all you are REQUIRED to do is write a small statement (under 2000 characters) on the application itself, and there is a designated spot for these that you would have seen on the online app. The longer statements I attached were because I couldn’t fit all of the information under 2000 characters, and this seems to be a common way around the word limit.
Hope that helps!
-Brooke
brooke
Hey Brooke,
I’m from North Carolina and moved here in Feb 2019 to be with my partner. I came here on the working holiday visa and worked in queensland to extend it. It doesn’t expire till november 2020, but my current job wants me to be on the relationship visa asap so i can stay at the company. Josh thinks it is too early to apply because it is only november 2019 and we haven’t lived together a full 12 months yet. But I have pressure from my work and the working holiday visa only lets you stay at a job for 6 months. What would you do in my situation? Also, we started dating March 2018 so we’ve been together over a year.
brooke brisbine
brookeHi Brooke,
Take this advice with a grain of salt because I am not a migration agent… but I had a friend who was in a similar situation to you. She had been with her partner just over a year, in Australia for most of the relationship, but spent the last 6mo back home before returning on a tourist visa just recently. She moved in with her partner for about 2mo and then she applied for the partner visa (so they had only EVER lived together for 2 months). Listening to her situation, I would have been a bit worried about her not meeting the 12mo minimum of living together, but she saw a migration lawyer who seemed to think that it would be no issue! Officially, the 12mo minimum can be waived if you register your relationship as de facto with the state government, and that’s what I’d recommend you do ASAP. Are you still living in QLD or which state are you in?
Judy
Thank Brooke, your information is very helpful.
I have applied the partner visa in Sep 20, 2018. In Nov 2019, the Case officer requested for additional evidence to proof our relation is genuine and continuing. The CO requested us to provide evidence ( from visa application lodgement to current day) in the aspects of financial, household , social and nature of commitment, my questions are:
1. Do you think I need to write a statement describing each aspect in addition to the evidence?
2. For social aspects, the co asked for statements from family and friends about the nature of our relationship, do you have any idea do the family and friends need to be Australian citizen? do my family member and friend need to provide their personal information e.g. passport id, phone no to proof their identity? What information should be included in such statement?
Thanks for any information you can provide.
brooke brisbine
JudyHi Judy,
I think it would probably be helpful to write statements for the CO, in addition to attaching evidence, just to explain how your relationship has continued since your application.
I am assuming the CO is requesting Form 888?? In which case, yes, the friends and family do need to be Australian and they do need to provide a colour scan of their passport.
Good luck, hopefully that means you’re close!!
– Brooke
Liz
Hi Brooke! Thanks so much for your help, your guides have helped ease my stress towards my own application! I have a question though, for your/your partners written statements on each aspect of the relationship..what format did you use? I was thinking of writing them like a letter…but now im wondering if I should use a stat dec format instead?
brooke brisbine
LizHey Liz, I’m so happy to hear these posts have been helpful for you!
My partner and I wrote our statements pretty informally, more just about how we met, when we knew we were serious, how we’ve committed to each other, etc. Based on other people I’ve spoken to, it seems like everyone does it a bit differently, so it’s totally up to you! But I really don’t think it’s necessary for it to be super official or formal— they aren’t expecting everyone to be a lawyer 🙂
Hope that helps!
-Brooke
Taran
Great work Brooke!👍🏼
brooke brisbine
TaranThank you, Taran!
Joyal mon
Hi Brooke,
Thanks a lot for the valuable information. I have submitted my onshore application 2 weeks ago. NOw I am in the midst of submitting my evidence. May I know where do you guys attach the statements of the applicant and the sponsor?
brooke brisbine
Joyal monHi Joyal, happy to hear this information was helpful to you and your partner!
We attached our main statements (about the history of our relationship) under the “Relationship – Spouse, De Facto Partner, Evidence of” section, although there are a few different ways you could do it. My understanding is that you should upload your statements to whatever section makes sense to you– the CO is going to read all of the sections anyway, so it doesn’t matter if you put it under “Relationship – Spouse, De Facto Partner, Evidence of” or “Length of the De Facto Relationship, Evidence of”.
I can’t tell you if the way we uploaded our evidence was “the best” way to do it, but you can see how we organised our own evidence in this post if you’re interested: https://brookebeyond.com/uploading-evidence-to-our-820-801-australian-partner-visa-application
Hope this helps 🙂
-Brooke
Precious
Hi Brooke!
Precious here again so sorry I have so many questions!
Just this one for now hihi
“A statement from either you or your partner describing your shared financial responsibility. This should function to guide your CO through the rest of this section’s evidence and fill in information that can’t be gleaned from any documents (e.g. how you supported your partner when they were unemployed, how you divide costs while travelling together, etc.). Many people also have the partner who did not write this letter sign an additional stat dec saying something to the effect of “I have read the statement made by my partner, and I confirm all information to be true and accurate”, but we did not do this.” from Nature of household
Does it need to be a stat dec and signed by a JP? if the partner did not write it? Or I can do it by writing the statement then under it I put “I have read the statement made by my partner, and I confirm all information to be true and accurate” and then sign by partner?
Thanks a lot Brooke!
brooke brisbine
PreciousHi Precious, no worries at all 🙂
To clarify, I don’t think Home Affairs requires you to submit these separate signed statements, the only thing you are required to do is write about your shared finances (etc) on the online application in the space provided. Heaps of people can’t fit everything they want to say in the 2000 character limit, so they write separate statements as well, which is what we did. Some people have these signed by a JP, but we didn’t think it was necessary, since they weren’t an official requirement (I can only tell you what we did, I don’t want to tell you what is right– up to you!) As for your partner signing it, the sponsor is also required to make the same type of statements as part of their sponsorship application so, again, a separate statement isn’t an official requirement, it’s just something extra we added.
I hope that helps!
Brooke
Ray
Brooke! Thank you so much for putting this information together, it has been extremly helpful for my partner and I as we are in the process of preparing our online application.
brooke brisbine
RayHi Ray, so happy to hear that you found this helpful! I was pretty disappointed by the lack of information on the Home Affairs site before I applied, so I thought I might be able to save other people a bit of time if I wrote everything down in one place. The application process feels never-ending at times, as I’m sure you’ve already found, but I wish you both the best of luck. It is such a wave of relief when it’s finally completed!